Combination lock mechanism



Nov. 13, 1962 c. AYTES COMBINATION LOCK MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 18, 1960 INVENTOR CLAY AV7T$ ATTORNEYS NOV. 13, 1962 c, Y s 3,063,282

COMBINATION LOCK MECHANISM Filed July 18, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.5 1 1 .15 EQU- INVENTOR CLAY AYTES ATTORNEYS United States Patent Dfifice 3,063,282 Patented Nov. 13, 1962 This invention relates to hardware and more particularly to a closure fastener and combination lock.

Heretofore, many different types of closure fasteners and locks have been proposed and utilized, but many such prior art devices utilized for relatively small strong boxes or safes, particularly for use in the home, have been relatively flimsy and did not provide the desired security and in many instances, the locks utilized were relatively simple and could quite easily be opened by unauthorized persons. Closure fasteners and locks which provided adequate security were in many instances relatively large and cumbersome and consequently, were not readily adaptable to relatively small strong boxes or safes, such as are frequently used in the home.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a closure fastener and lock which will provide maximum security against unauthorized opening and which is relatively small and light in weight.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a closure fastener and lock in which the closure is removably secured in place at widely separated points thereby preventing unauthorized removal by a mere prying operation.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a closure fastener and lock in which the entire fastener mechanism, as well as the lock is carried by the closure.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a closure fastener and lock, including a plurality of latch bolts which simultaneously lock in latching position and which may be conveniently retracted by manipulation of a single finger engaging knob.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a closure fastener and lock which is of relatively simple, yet rugged construction and which may be conveniently and economically manufactured from readily available material.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a combination lock which is relatively simple in construction, but which provides a high degree of security against unauthorized opening and in which the combination may be conveniently changed.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a combination lock providing a high degree of security, yet requiring only a minimum number of movable parts.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a closure fastener and lock constructed in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 a side elevational view with parts broken away and in section for greater clarity and showing the internal structure of the closure fastener and lock;

FIG. 3 a sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 a rear elevational view of the closure and showing the structure of the fastener elements mounted thereon;

FIG. 5 an exploded view in perspective showing the structure of the fastener elements of the combination lock and the structure whereby the combination of such lock may be conveniently changed; and

FIGS. 6 to 11 diagrammatic views showing the sequence of operation of the disks of the combination lock.

With continued reference to the drawings, there is shown a closure fastener and lock constructed in accordance with this invention and which, for convenience of illustration, is shown as incorporated in a closure 10 which may be conveniently utilized to close the openingof a safe or other container 11. The container 11 and closure 10 are shown as being circular, but this is for purposes of illustration only and it is to be understood that both the container and closure may be of other shapes as desired.

With particular reference to FIGS. 2 and 4, it will be seen that the closure 10 comprises a plate 12 having a rearwardly extending marginal flange 13 which is received within the opening of the container 11. Spaced biocks 14 and 15 are mounted on the rear surface of the plate 12 by screw threaded fastening means or the like 16, and slidably carried by the blocks 14 and 15 is a combined latch bolt and actuating rod 17. It will be noted from an inspection of FIG. 4, that the outer end of the rod 17 may be retracted within the confines of the marginal flange 13 or projected there beyond as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 4. It is further to be noted, that the rod 17 is slidably received in an aperture 18 in the marginal flange 1 3. Angularly spaced from the latch bolt 17 are additional latch bolts '19 and 20 which are slidably received in apertures 21 and 22 respectively in the marginal flange 13.

A bell crank lever 23 is pivotally mounted on the plate 12 by screw threaded means or the like 24, and one arm 25 of the bell crank lever 23 is connected by a screw and slot connection 26 with the inner end of the latch bolt 19. In a similar manner, a bell crank lever 27 is pivotally mounted by screw threaded means or the like 28, on the plate 12 an arm 29 of the bell crank lever 27 is pivotally connected by a screw and slot connection 30 with the inner end of the latch bolt 20. A cross head 31 is fixed on the rod 17 and the arm 32 of bell crank lever 23 is connected by a screw and slot connection 33 with the cross head 31 and in a similar manner, the arm 34 of bell crank lever 27 is connected by a screw and slot connection 35 to the cross head 31.

It will thus be seen from an inspection of FIG. 4, that upon downward movement of the rod 17, the latch bolts 19 and 20 will be retracted within the periphery of the marginal flange 13 and in a similar manner, upon 'upward movement of the rod 17 the latch bolts 19 and 20, as well as the outer end of the rod 17 will be projected outwardly of the marginal flange 13 as shown in dotted lines. In this position, the latch bolts will engage in recesses 36 in the inner surface of the safe or container 11 to securely fasten the closure 10 therein. In order to conveniently operate the rod 17 to extend or retract the latch bolts, there may be provided an actuating member 37 fixed to the rod 17 by screw threaded fastening means or the like 38 and the member 37 projects through a slot 39 in the plate 12 and terminates exteriorly thereof in a finger engaging knob 40 provided with a flange 41 for covering the slot 39.

' A forwardly extending flange 42 on the plate 12 serves to provide a housing for a combination lock and within the recess 43 provided by the flange 42 there is disposed a shaft 44 fixed to the plate 12. Rotatably mounted on the shaft 44 in spaced relationship are combination lock disks 45, 46 and 47. As best shown in FIG. 5', disk 46 is provided with a plurality of apertures 48 in concentric relationship to the central aperture 49 which receives the shaft 44 and selectively disposed in one of the apertures 48 is a pin 50 which projects from opposite sides of the disk 45. -A notch 51 is provided in the edge of the disk 45. In a similar manner, the disk 46 is provided with a plurality of apertures 52 arranged in concentric relationship to the central aperture 53 which receives the shaft 44 and a pin 54 is selectively received in one of the apertures 52 and projects from opposite sides of the disk 46. A notch 55 is also provided in the edge of disk 46. Disk 47 is likewise provided with a plurality of apertures 56 concentrically arranged with respect to the central aperture 57 which receives the shaft 44 and selectively received in one of the apertures 56 is a pin 58 which projects from the disk 47 toward the disk 46. A notch 59 is provided in the edge of the disk 47. A cupshaped dial 60 is rotatably mounted on the shaft 44 outwardly of the disk 45 and the dial 60 serves to close the recess 43 provided "by the flange 42. A pin 61 is provided on the inner surface of the dial 6t) and such a pin 61 is in circular alignment with the pin 50 and apertures 48 in the disk 45. In order to provide a ready reference means a scale 62 may be provided on the flange 42 adjacent the dial 60 and an index 63 may be provided on the front face of the dial 60.

A slot 64 may be provided in the plate 12 communicating with the recess 63 and a locking bar 65 fixed to the rod 17 extends through the slot 64 into the recess 43 and across the edges of the disks 45, 46 and 47. The locking bar 65 is of a size to be received in the notches 51, 55 and 59 when the same are in alignment as clearly shown in FIG. 2.

With the latch bolts extended to engage the recesses 36 in the container or safe 11, the closure is securely held in place therein and when it is desired to remove the closure, the dial 60 may be rotated in a clockwise direction to bring the pin 61 thereon into engagement with the pin 50 on the disk 45 which will result in rotating the disk 45 until the pin thereon engages the pin 54 on the disk 46. Continued rotation in a counterclockwise direction will bring the pin 54 on the disk 46 into engagement with the pin 48 on the disk 47 and thereafter continue the clockwise rotation and move all of the disks as a unit until the proper indication on the scale 62 is reached, at which time the notch 59 in disk 47 will be in the uppermost position as shown in FIG. 11. Thereafter, counter-clockwise rotation of the dial 61, as shown in FIG. 9, will move the pin 61 on the dial 60 into engagement with the opposite side of the pin 50 in the disk 45 and will move such pin 50 into engagement with the opposite side of the pin 44 on the disk 46 and continued counter-clockwise movement will result in moving the slot into uppermost position as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 10 into alignment with the slot 59 of the disk 47 and such position is, of course, indicated on the scale 62. Subsequent clockwise movement of the dial 60 will result in moving the pin 61 thereon into engagement with the pin 50 on the disk 45 which will move the notch 51 on disk 45 into the uppermost position and into alignment with the notches 55 and 59. This sequence of operation is shown in FIGS. 6 to 11. Upon alignment of all of the notches 51, 55 and 59, the finger engaging knob 40 may be actuated to move the rod 17 downwardly since in this position, the locking bar 65 may move into the notches 51, 55 and 59 and such movement will result in retracting the latch bolts from the recesses 36, thereby permitting removal of the closure 10 from. the safe or container 11.

When it is desired to close the container or safe it is only necessary to replace the closure 10 in the opening thereof and actuate the finger engaging knob 40 to move the latch bolts outwardly into engagement with the recesses 36 which will serve to securely lock the closure 10 in the container 11 and spinning of the dial 60 will result in moving the notches 51, 55 and 59 in the disks 45, 46 and 47 out of alignment with each other and also out of alignment with the locking bar 65 and thereafter movement of the rod 17 is prevented until the combination lock is again actuated to place the notches 51, 55 and 59 in alignment with each other and with the locking bar 65.

It will be seen that by the above described invention there has been provided a relatively simple closure fastener and combination lock and one which provides maximum security against unauthorized entry and yet which may be relatively small and light in weight. Furthermore, both the fastener means and lock utilize a minimum number of movable parts and consequently, the likelihood of breakage or failure is reduced to a minimum.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is shown in the drawings and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A closure fastener and lock comprising a closure plate, a combined latch bolt and actuating rod slidably mounted on said plate, one end of said rod being movable outwardly and retractable inwardly of the periphery of said plate, a cross head adjustably mounted on said rod, a pair of bell crank levers pivotally mounted on said plate on opposite sides of said rod, one arm of each bell crank lever being pivotally connected to said cross head, the other arm of each bell crank lever being pivotally connected to a latch bolt slidably mounted on said plate, whereby, upon movement of said rod in one direction said one end and said latch bolts will be moved outwardly of the periphery of said plate and upon movement of said rod in the opposite direction said one end and said latch bolts will be moved inwardly of the periphery of said plate, a slot in said plate, an actuating member fixed to said rod and projecting through said slot, a finger engaging knob on the outer end of said member for actuating said rod, a lock housing on the outer side of said plate, a multiple disk combination lock rotatably mounted in said housing, a notch in the outer edge of each disk, a rotatable dial closing said housing for operating said lock, an index on said dial, a scale on the rim of said housing adjacent said dial, a slot in said plate communicating with said housing and a lock ing bar fixed to said rod and extending through said last named slot across the edges of said disks whereby upon operation of said dial and disks to align said notches with said bar, said rod may be moved to retract said latch bolts.

2. A closure fastener and lock comprising a closure plate, a combined latch bolt and actuating rod slidably mounted on said plate, one end of said rod being movable outwardly and retractable inwardly of the periphery of said plate, a cross head mounted on said rod, a pair of bell crank levers pivotally mounted on said plate on opposite sides of said rod, one arm of each bell crank lever being pivotally connected to said cross head, the other arm of each bell crank lever being pivotally connected to a latch bolt slidably mounted on said plate, whereby upon movement of said rod in one direction said one end and said latch bolts will be moved outwardly of the periphery of said plate and upon movement of said rod in the opposite direction said one end and said latch bolts will be moved inwardly of the periphery of said plate, a slot in said plate, an actuating member fixed to said rod and projecting through said slot, a finger engaging knob on the outer end of said member for actuating said rod, a lock housing on the outer side of said plate, a multiple disk combination lock rotatably mounted in said housing, a notch in the outer edge of each disk, a rotatable dial closing said housing for operating said lock, an index on said dial, a scale on the rim of said housing adjacent said dial, a slot in said plate communicating with said housing and a locking bar fixed to said rod and extending through said last named slot across the edges of said disks whereby upon operation of said dial and disks to align said notches with said bar, said rod may be moved to retract said latch bolts.

3. A closure fastener and lock comprising a closure plate, a combined latch bolt and actuating rod slidably mounted on said plate, one end of said rod being movable outwardly and retractable inwardly of the periphery of said plate, a cross head mounted on said rod, a pair of levers pivotally mounted on said plate on opposite sides of said rod, one arm of each lever being pivotally connected to said cross head, the other arm of each lever being pivotally connected to a latch bolt slidably mounted on said plate, whereby upon movement of said rod in one direction said one end and said latch bolts will be moved outwardly of the periphery of said plate and upon movement of said rod in the opposite direction said one end and said latch bolts will be moved inwardly of the periphery of said plate, a slot in said plate, an actuating member fixed to said rod and projecting through said slot, a finger engaging knob on the outer end of said member for actuating said rod, a lock housing on the outer side of said plate, a multiple disk combination lock rotatably mounted on said housing, a notch in the outer edge of each disk, a rotatable dial closing said housing for operating said lock, an index on said dial, a scale on the rim of said housing adjacent said dial, a slot in said plate communicating with said housing and a locking bar fixed to said rod and extending through said last named slot across the edges of said disks whereby upon operation of said dial and disks to align said notches with said bar, said rod may be moved to retract said latch bolts.

4. A closure fastener and lock comprising a closure plate, a combined lat-ch bolt and actuating rod slidably mounted on said plate, one end of said rod being movable outwardly and retractable inwardly of the periphcry of said plate, a cross head mounted on said rod, a

pair of levers pivotally mounted on said plate on opposite sides of said rod, one arm of each lever being pivotally connected to said cross head, the other arm of each lever being pivotally connected to a latch boit slidably mounted on said plate, whereby upon movement of said rod in one direction said one end and said latch bolts will be moved outwardly of the periphery of said plate and upon movement of said rod in the opposite direction said one end and said latch bolts will be moved inwardly of the periphery of said plate, means for actuating said rod, a lock housing on the outer side of said plate, a multiple disk combination lock rotatably mounted in said housing, a notch in the outer edge of each disk, a rotatable dial closing said housing for operating said lock, an index on said dial, a scale on the rim of said housing adjacent said dial, a slot in said plate communicating with said housing and a locking bar fixed to said rod and extending through said last named slot across the edges of said disks whereby upon operation of said dial and disks to align said notches with said bar, said rod may be moved to retract said latch bolts.

References Cited in the file ofthis patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 272,873 Fraser Feb. 27, 1883 1,050,741 Lowrie Jan. 14, 1913 1,113,479 Phipps Oct. 13, 1914 FOREIGN PATENTS 13,155 Great Britain July 5, 1893 

